Addressing a rally in Himachal Pradesh, Mr Gandhi claimed he was given this information by members of the Special Protection Group (SPG), the agency which guards him.

"During demonetization, Narendra Modi put his cabinet under lock and key ("taley se band kiya tha) on Race Course Road," he said, referring to the earlier name of the road on which the Prime Minister's official residence is located.

"This is the truth," Rahul Gandhi said.

"The SPG people provide me also with security. They told me that do you know that the prime minister of India locked up his entire cabinet," he said.